


Where You Go

by frostfire95



Series: Captain Haught and Princess Earp [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 20:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21463972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostfire95/pseuds/frostfire95
Summary: Waverly Earp is a princess.Nicole Haught is head of palace security.They've lived in the same place for their whole lives, but never really interacted with each other. Waverly was just another royal to protect. Sure, she was easier to manage than her sister Wynonna, heir to the throne and all around party girl, but that didn't make them friends or anything. But when the palace is attacked by a band of mercenaries, Nicole is the only one around to keep Waverly safe.
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Wynonna Earp, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp/Nicole Haught
Series: Captain Haught and Princess Earp [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016611
Comments: 10
Kudos: 184





	1. Don’t Think About the Cliff

"You know you don't have to follow me around all day Captain. I'm perfectly capable of getting to my room on my own."

"I know. It's protocol. You and your sister are not supposed to be left alone at anytime. It's just the way things work." Nicole sighed, regretting not giving this assignment to someone else. She had so many other things she could be doing right now besides babysitting. There were some new recruits that needed whipped into shape. And the armory needed inspected. So many things that needed her attention. But she'd drawn princess duty. She had to stick with it.

"You're a lot better company than Xavier. He's not nearly as talkative and just sort of hovers behind me. It's not exactly creepy, but it's a little unnerving some days."

"He's just keeping you safe the best way he knows how to."

"He could at least smile some more." Nicole smiled a little. Waverly wasn't wrong. Xavier wasn't the most outspoken of her guards, but he was one of the best. She was going to say as much when she heard something echoing through the halls.

"Princess, move. Now." they were nowhere near her room and Nicole looked around, trying to figure out what to do.

"What is it? What's that sound?"

"Gunshots. At the main door. Quick, get in here." A supply closet was not her ideal place to defend the princess, but it was better than standing around in the hallway for everyone to see.

"Can't we make it to my room? There's a panic room there."

"We don't have time. Come on." she pulled out her sword and gently pushed the princess through the door, "Be quiet. I don't know if they're coming this way or not."

"You're not going to leave me here are you?"

"Not a chance Princess. Just stay behind me and everything will be fine." It had been years since an attack on the palace. And they hadn't done nearly enough drills to prepare since she became captain. They just hadn't seemed necessary.

"Wynonna is going to be okay right? She was still in the ballroom."

"Your sister will be perfectly fine. Xavier and Henry are there. They're the best lieutenants I've got. There are guards around her at all times." they both jumped when something crashed in the hall just outside. Nicole backed up a couple steps, bumping into Waverly.

"How are we going to know when it's safe to go out there?" something else sounded like it fell, this time landing on the door first. Waverly screamed a little bit. Nicole turned around and covered her mouth.

"I will make sure it is safe before you go anywhere near the door. But we have to be quiet and have faith in the other guards. You trust me right?" she nodded, still looking terrified. Nicole was scared too, but she wasn't going to let Waverly know that, "Okay good. Now, I'm going to check out there to see what is going on out there. Don't let anyone in here. Got it?"

"Got it." she whispered.

"Good. I will be right back. I'm just going to check the hallway. Not going far." she turned back and slowly opened the door, poking her head out. She didn't see anyone, just a couple of the tables broken and things knocked over. She came out all the way, quietly closing the door. She’d gone a couple feet when someone came racing around the corner. He saw her and immediately opened fire. She ducked, just barely avoiding the bullet that had been aimed at her head.

”Get out of my palace.” She ran towards him, momentarily forgetting about her own gun at her side. He hadn’t been expecting a direct attack though and dropped his weapon. Unfortunately, he’d had every intention of using it again and it went off when it hit the ground. The bang was deafening this close. But not nearly as painful as the bullet itself. She stumbled, barely catching herself. The intruder was still cowering, unaware that he’d done any damage.

”Carl! Where’d you go? The heir isn’t this way, she’s in the ballroom! C’mon, we’re going to miss all the fun.” Another one rounded the corner, way too excited. He skidded to a stop when he saw the captain of the guard standing there, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Captain Nicole Haught. Youngest person ever promoted to such a high rank. And the first woman. And you’ve royally failed.” He laughed at his own joke, pulling out a sword of his own.

”I’m going to tell you once, and only once, get out of my palace. You’ll never get anywhere near the princesses.”

”I’d say we’ve got a pretty good chance of getting to at least one of them. We don’t get paid if we don’t deliver. And it doesn’t look like you’re going to be putting up much of a fight. What’d you do to your leg?”

”Fine. The hard way it is.” She grimaced, ignoring the pain in her leg, and lunged at him. She was quicker than he’d been expecting and she nicked his arm before he was able to parry. They went back and forth for maybe a minute, and she knew she was losing. The other guy had run off, clearly not prepared for any of this, but she couldn’t keep her defenses up and her weight off her leg.

”I’m impressed actually. None of our intel said you were such a stubborn woman. I’ll make sure to tell the princesses that you put up a valiant fight.” She stumbled backwards, away from him. And tripped on a broken chair. She sort of caught herself, but it hurt like hell and she was pretty sure she’d sprained her wrist. She almost didn’t get up, it just hurt too much. But she had to protect Waverly. She wasn’t safe with him so close. She reached out to the wall to steady herself as she stood, wincing a little bit. She tightened her grip on her sword and slowly stepped towards him. He looked impressed.  
”I wish the people I worked with were as determined as you. It’s almost a shame to kill you now. But I’m still going to. I am sorry about it.”

”And I’m sorry about this.” Nicole watched in disbelief when Waverly, Princess Waverly, angel of the kingdom, won’t kill a spider, Waverly Earp, came out of nowhere and hit him over the head with a bucket. He hadn’t seen it coming and collapsed. If he wasn’t unconscious before, hitting his head on the floor did the trick.

”Holy cow. What did I just do?” She dropped the bucket with a clang, staring at the unconscious man, clearly in shock.

”What you had to do.” Nicole looked around. No one else seemed to be heading in their direction at the moment, “You need to get back in there, before someone else decides to come this way.” She pulled out her gun, not about to be caught without it again. She’d barely finished her sentence when another of the mercenaries came racing around the corner. Nicole didn’t give him a chance to call for backup and fired. She wasn’t captain for nothing. The bullet hit him in the chest and he went down. Waverly didn’t scream this time, but she did stare. Nicole sighed and pushed herself away from the wall, limping a little.

”Come on princess. You need to hide again while I figure out what’s going on.” She started back towards the closet, but only for a few steps before her leg reminded her it was done.

”You’re not going anywhere like that.” Waverly came up next to her, and despite being half a foot shorter, helped support her as she walked.

”I have to. And you need to stay here this time.” They sort of fell back into the closet and Waverly closed the door, putting a broom under the handle to keep it from being opened.

"I know I wasn't supposed to come out before, but I didn't know what to do. I heard the gunshots and then nothing else. I didn't know if you'd been hurt or killed or, I dont know, taken away or something. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. Now tell me how to help you now. With your leg." Nicole sat on the floor, stretching out as best as she could.

"You're really going to help with this? Because when you were younger, you wouldn't go anywhere near blood."

"That was a long time ago. Now come on, before you bleed out or something. Because I won't be able to move you if you pass out."

"Okay fine. First, we need to get the bullet out. Um, get down those towels and that brown bottle there."

"Hydrogen peroxide?"

"A disinfectant. Not the best option, seeing how it kills good germs too, but it's our one right now. Check that drawer for a pair of scissors. I think that's where they’d be." Waverly dug around for a minute before triumphantly brandishing a small pair.

"Ta da! Now what?" she waved them around, making Nicole nervous for all sorts of other reasons. 

"Gimme those before you hurt yourself." Waverly sheepishly handed them over. Nicole shifted a little, managing to get the bottom half of her pant leg cut off.

"Oh boy. That's a lot of blood. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'm sure that between the two of us, we can make sure I live to walk another day."

"That's a terrible thing to joke about. What do I do now?"

"I'm going to need you to cut it out. Carefully."

"Are you sure you want me doing that? Maybe we could just leave it in until an actual doctor finds us."

"Usually, I'd agree with that, but I need to be able to move around without worrying about the damn thing shifting and hitting something important. It doesn't feel like it's too deep though. Should be easy enough to get out." she pulled her knife out of her boot and handed it over.

"Easy? Really?"

"Yes. I have faith in you. First, you need to disinfect that. I cleaned it a couple days ago, but it lives in my shoe."

"Okay. Um, how do you expect me to get the bullet out? Because I don't think you want me just pulling it out with my fingers. They may be dainty, but they aren't exactly needle thin."

"I know. There's a pair of tweezers on that shelf behind you."

"Were you going to tell me that before I started cutting into you?" Nicole laughed a little bit as Waverly stood up to grab them.

"Of course. Don't forget to clean them too. An infection could put me in bed for weeks."

"And we can't have that. Our captain can't keep us safe from a bed." Waverly dumped some peroxide on one of the towels and carefully cleaned the knife and tweezers, "Okay. You're absolutely certain you want me doing this?"

"Absolutely certain. Let's get this going. I need to be out there, figuring out what the hell happened with everyone else."

"Okay. I'm sure you know, but pretty sure this is going to hurt." she soaked another towel and carefully cleaned off her leg. That alone stung.

"Can I have one of those towels please?" she tossed one over.

"Thank you." she folded it a couple times before biting down on it, "Okay go." she mumbled. Waverly took a deep breath and started to carefully cut her leg. Nicole grabbed one of the other brooms, trying her best to not move. And holy hell did it hurt. But she didn't make a sound. And it didn't take very long. Minutes really.

"I got it!" Waverly half shouted. She held up the little bit of metal, smiling triumphantly. And it might have been the blood loss and pain, but in that instant, Waverly Earp had never looked more beautiful. But that wasn't important just now.

"Awesome. Now we need to get that wrapped up tight. Like now."

"Right, sorry. Just got excited there. More towels right?"

"Smart girl." it didn't take long for the cut to be bound up. A needle and thread would have been great then, but there were none lying around.

"Okay. So I think I got it nice and tight. What do you think?"

"I think you did amazing. Help me up."

"Already? Shouldn't you keep sitting down for a little bit? Just to make sure I did it right."

"I watched you do it and corrected you when it was wrong. It's perfect. Let me see that." Waverly pulled her up and handed over the bullet, "Thank you." She glared at the stupid little piece of metal before putting it in her pocket.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to get you to your panic room. And then I'm going to find your sister and make sure that this whole situation is under control. Come on." she reached for the broom blocking the handle when it started wiggling, "Shit. Back up and stay behind me." she limped to stand in front of the princess. She wasn't going to use either of her weapons in such a small space.

"Here." Waverly handed her knife back, shaking only a little bit. The handle was shaking more, someone clearly trying to get in, "How'd they know to look in here?"

"The blood. My leg was bleeding and must have led them right here. I'm so stupid." And it was going to get the princess hurt. Dammit.

"Captain Haught? Is that you in there?"

"Is that Henry?" Waverly whispered.

"I think so. But I can't let him in. Not yet. Someone could be making him look for us."

"Wow. You really don't trust anyone do you?"

"Not when you're safety is on the line." she tightened her grip on her knife, waiting.

"Hey! Captain Red Head! You have my sister in there? Because if not, you are absolutely fired." Waverly laughed when Wynonna banged on the door. Nicole sighed in relief and moved the broom out of the way. The door opened and she moved over so Waverly could get to her sister.

"Wynonna! You're okay!"

"Of course I am babygirl. I've got these muscles hovering behind me all the time. If anyone got past them, I'd probably go willingly. What about you? When you weren't in your room, we thought they'd gotten you. And then we came across those two and saw the blood and thought something worse had happened."

"I'm fine. Totally fine. Nicole wasn't going to let anything happen to me. The blood is hers actually."

"It's nothing. We got it taken care of and I am alright. What needs to happen now is I need to be filled in on what happened. Any others apprehended, or just these two?"

"We nabbed one other in the ballroom. Xavier is handling them now, getting everyone squared away in their new accommodations."

"Perfect. Henry, please escort the princesses to Wynonna's room. I hope you don't mind sharing tonight, but it's safest to have you together, should something happen again."

"Oh, I was planning on bringing her with me. Not letting you out of my sight for a while. And thank you Captain. For protecting her."

"Of course. It’s my job.” I Waverly waved at her as they walked off. Nicole sighed, wincing when she started in the opposite direction. She’d talk to Xavier and then see a doctor to get it stitched up properly. The damage didn’t look too bad as she made her way to the ballroom, but she did notice the bloodstains and bullet holes being covered up.

”Captain Haught! There you are we. We were worried something had happened to you and Waverly.” Xavier was watching the three prisoners be escorted out. The one Waverly had knocked out still looked a little dazed and the one she’d shot looked pissed as hell. He saw Nicole and tried to lunge at her, but the chains they used held him back.

“Everything is fine. The princess is safe and unharmed and it seems you were able to contain the problem.”

”We did. As soon as we heard the shots, we got Wynonna out of here and returned fire. We were concerned when a couple got away, searching for Waverly I assume.”

”Awesome.” She moved to look at the wall, but swayed a little bit.

”Captain, you need to get your leg looked at properly. Don’t think I didn’t notice it. We can’t have you making things worse by not taking care of yourself.”

”I’ll get to it. This is important too.”

”And I am capable of handling it and filling you in. You look like you’re about to pass out. Go see someone and if you’re deemed able to keep going, I’ll be here.”

”Fine. But if anything, and I mean anything, goes wrong, find me. No matter what.”

”Yes ma’am.” She limped away, to their doctor.

"You let Princess Waverly perform minor surgery on your leg?"

"I didn't think I had much of a choice. I didn't know what was going on and couldn't really do it myself."

"Well, I'll be sure to tell her she did a phenomenal job. Aaand you're good. Change the bandage tomorrow and keep it clean and you should be back to normal in a few days."

"Wonderful. Was anyone else hurt?"

"No one else has come to see me, so I don't think so. You've kept your men and women well trained."

"I suppose it helped that most everyone went to bed at a normal hour. Wynonna was one of the last ones still functioning this time of night."

"She is definitely one of a kind."

"They both are. Thank you for this, I'm going to make sure everything is good for the night."

"Don't overdo it. And if you notice anything off about that, come back and see me."

"Will do."

It was a hectic few days after that. Trying to figure out what exactly had happened, who hired the mercenaries to attack the princesses. All sorts of fun things that came with being captain of the guard. And then there was the Waverly of it all. Something had shifted in that closet. Nicole had been around Waverly for most of her life. They'd been tutored together when they were younger, until Nicole had been sent off across the kingdom with all the other recruits. She was better off on her own anyways. And when she'd returned, Waverly had changed. She wasn't running around in the mud or climbing trees anymore. She was a princess through and through. And had been that the entire time. She didn't know what had happened. But it didn't matter. Getting attached to anyone was a liability in her job. It wasn't until a month later that she was even alone with her again.

”I don’t get why Wynonna wants to hang out with Mercedes alone. We’re friends too. Just not as close.” They were in the library, the one place in the palace the party girls wouldn’t wind up.

”It’s just been a while since they’ve seen each other. Mercedes’s family needed her.”

”Oh I know. Her brother and sister just went all psycho on their people and she had to deal with them. I can’t even imagine how awful that must have been. Imagine, having to lock up Wynonna.” Nicole wasn’t going to mention she had thought of it from time to time. Just shove the heir in her room and lock the door for a few hours. It’d be a nice break every now and again when she went too far.

”I’m sure it would be next to impossible to do. She’d certainly put up a fight.”

”Oh absolutely.” Waverly finished the book she’d been reading and went to find another one. Nicole watched, but didn’t follow. She glanced out the window, where Wynonna and Mercedes we’re outside enjoying the weather. Shooting targets that looked very similar to the other Gardner’s. She turned back to keep an eye on Waverly and laughed a little. The princess was trying to reach a book on a shelf just out of her reach. She went over and pulled down the one she’d almost gotten down.

”Oh. Thank you. You know you don’t have to do all these mundane things for me right?” Nicole handed the book over, doing her best to not react when her fingers brushed Waverly’s.

”It’s not that mundane. Maybe I was grabbing it for myself and am just being nice and letting you read it first.” Waverly smiled.

”Well I appreciate that. Just let me know if my requests get too ridiculous though.”

”I’m not sure that’s possible. I’d do anything for you.” Whoops. Hadn’t meant to say that. But Waverly didn’t seem to think it was strange.

”Did you see that Jeremy and Robin are coming back from their vacation next week? I’m so excited to see them again.”

”I did. And I’ve made the proper arrangements to ensure that their return party goes off without a hitch.”

”You work too hard Captain. When was the last time you had a day off? And don’t count the twelve hours you spent in bed when that bullet wound was acting weird.”

”I wouldn’t call that a day off. Those are usually pleasant, but I was very uncomfortable.”

”Fine. So, last day off?” Nicole sighed, thinking back. She’d been promoted to captain about two years ago when Randy had decided he wanted to spend time with his family more. But she couldn’t think of a time before than when she hadn’t been doing something guard related, "Captain Haught? You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to remember my last day off. Let's just say it's been awhile."

"That's so depressing. But it must be nice having something to do with your time. Wynonna was saying last night how you guys managed to figure out where those mercenaries came from."

"We did, yeah. It was all the Del Rey brothers again. Bobo bribed one of the men guarding the door and Mars disguised himself as another. They wanted your sister, you if they could manage it."

"Ugh, Bobo. He's the worst. You'd think he'd move on to some other obsession."

"There are worse things to be obsessed with than the Earp sisters. But I've gone through every guard we've got in the palace and replaced the ones that seemed even a little compromised." She was trying her hardest to keep everything she did professional. She wasn't going to slip again and mess things up.

"Well I'm glad we've got you around. Wynonna doesn't say it nearly often enough, but she's glad Randy chose you as his replacement. She remembers when you were when we were kids and thought you were fun."

"And now she thinks I'm just the buzzkill right?"

"Not entirely, no. She knows your job is hard and that we're lucky to have you. She's just not the best at expressing that. I mean, she's hanging out with her best friend right now, throwing knives at dummies that look sort of like Mercedes's brother and sister? Where did they even get those?" she looked outside, confused.

"I'm sure Henry had something to do with it. He's a resourceful guy."

"You sound like you don't approve."

"He's just different. But he's helpful to have around and he doesn't mind keeping an eye on Wynonna."

"Oh I've seen the 'eye' he keeps on Wynonna."

"Everyone has. Believe me. It's been discussed. But they are both grown ups and can do whatever with their free time. And the rest of us just don't think about it."

"No kidding. So, would you mind helping me with something else?"

"Of course."

"I need help planning this party and we used to have tons of fun together when we were younger making up things."

"I mean, sure. I guess. I could help when I'm not on duty, if that works."

"That works perfect. Just a little help is all I ask. This party is going to be perfect." Waverly smiled and Nicole returned it. The things she did for the people she cared about.


	2. Not a Unicorn. Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly is a princess. Sounds like a dream right? But it's not all unicorns and rainbows like everyone thinks. She's not the oldest, so she doesn't have that weight on her shoulders. That's all on Wynonna and she handles it as well as can be expected. But it's not all bad. Her friends are great, the palace is fun when it's not being attacked by people hired by Bobo Del Rey. And then there was Captain Haught. There was just something about her. Something Waverly couldn't quite figure out.

"I know you sort of volunteered for this Captain, but I feel kind of bad for taking up your free time. You seem to have so little of it."

"I said I'd help you, so I'm helping you. And it's not so bad. I don't even feel the paper cuts anymore." she waved her hand around, showing off the cuts on her fingers.

"I knew folding all these little paper trees was going to be a disaster. They look all murder-y now. Kind of a downer for a welcome home party."

"I think they look cute. Just don't look too closely at them." Waverly sat back and squinted.

"You know, I think you're right. From a distance, with your head tilted, they don't look so bad." She moved them all into a pile and looked at her list of things to do, “They’re back tomorrow right?”

”That’s what I’ve heard. Unless the weather delays them, tomorrow afternoon. And the party is after sundown.”

”Perfect. So we just need to enlist a couple more tall people to hang things up and we should be good to go. Right?” Nicole came up beside her, reading over her shoulder.

”It looks like it. Why is there a frowny face next to ‘Dance with everybody’? Don’t you live for that kind of thing?”

”I love dancing and having fun at parties. But there’s sooo many people and I can’t leave anyone out or it’ll look like the princess is showing favorites. Can’t do that. And not everyone knows how to dance very well and I get stepped on.”  
”Well, I’ll do my best to keep an eye on you. If I see you getting stepped on, I’ll be sure to intervene for your protection.”

”Well I appreciate that Nicole. Thank you very much.” They moved everything down to the ballroom, setting up as best as they could. Nicole did ask a couple others to help them hang things up, and she was pleased with the final look.

"Thank you Nicole. I promised Wynonna I'd meet her for dinner. I'll see you tomorrow though right?"

"Of course. Have fun with your sister." she left her talking with some of the others guards. She somehow still managed to beat Wynonna to dinner.

"Hey Waves, sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it."

"How'd the party planning go? You and Captain Haught Head get your decorations figured out?"

"We did actually. Everything is set up and the party is going to be perfect for Jeremy and Robin. So long as Bobo and his stupid brother don't interrupt again."

"I have faith in our security. After that debacle last month, our esteemed captain did an overhaul on our security. I don't think I've been anywhere without Xavier or Doc right behind me. Hey over there! Don't think I haven't noticed you staring at me!" Waverly laughed when Xavier shifted a little bit, trying not to look uncomfortable.

"Wynonna, stop making their lives complicated."

"Aw, they love it. Right Dolls?”

”You know he doesn’t like that Wynonna. At least not when he’s working. Sorry Xavier. You know it’s impossible to control her.”

”It’s nothing I can’t handle Waverly. But I appreciate the concern.” He said with a smile.

Wynonna laughed and they talked about random things as they ate. Waverly couldn’t wait for everyone to be back in the palace tomorrow. She loved her sister more than anything, but it was always nice to have more people around.

”Any princes invited that I should be concerned about?”

”What? No Wynonna. Pretty sure we established a long time ago that all the princes nearby are immature.”

”Just checking. Any common folks then? The ranch kid, Champ, seems to like you.”

”Well now you’re just messing with me. I know you can’t stand him. I’m sure Nicole is going to have to save me from him at some point."

"It seems to be her thing. And I am glad for it. Someone needs to keep an eye on you when I can't. And she's basically a tree and can see like everywhere."

"Yeah." she didn't say anything else, lost in thought. Planning for the party had been tiring and she was glad it was almost done with.

"Hey, Waves? You feeling okay? You look a little out of it."

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just tired. I think I'm going to turn in early. Give myself plenty of time to put the finishing touches on everything tomorrow."

"Alright. Don't stress out about this too much. It's Jeremy and Robin. They'll be happy no matter what kind of party you throw. And it they're not, I can order them to be happy about it. Heir to the kingdom remember. They have to do what I say."

"Of course they do Wynonna. See you in the morning." she waved at Xavier and fell asleep almost as soon as she got herself comfortable under her blankets.

Everything seemed to move at high speed once she woke up. The last minute details were taken care of with minimal difficulty, Nicole went over the security that would be present throughout the night, and the boys finally showed up.

"Robin! Jeremy! I'm so glad you guys are back!"

"Missed you too Waverly. Glad we're home."

"You guys missed out on all the fun."

"So we heard. I would say I'm bummed we missed it, but Bobo is like a bad penny that always pops back up."

"I was going to say he's more like the flu." Robin said, joining the hug.

"Please don't joke about that. It's been making it's rounds here."

"Of course it is. Because we would come back during an epidemic."

"It's not nearly that bad. Like two guards and a gardener had minor fevers a couple days ago. Nothing worth being worried about." Henry said from his spot on the wall. 

"There they are! My little weirdos. This place doesn't feel right without you two around here. Welcome home." Wynonna came out of nowhere and almost knocked them all over.

"We missed you too Wynonna. Eventually. The first couple days were nice and relaxing. Nothing tried to kill us for once."

"Aw, you hear that? They missed me."

"I heard Wynonna." they were interrupted when some music started playing. Robin cheered. Waverly had made sure there would be music they loved. Robin grabbed Jeremy's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Waverly smiled, happy it was going well. The smile became a little more forced when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me princess, but may I have this dance?"

"Of course." And so began one of the longer nights of her life. Normally she lived for this sort of thing, but it wasn't so great when you were being passed around like a newborn at the holidays. But she did it without complaint. She was insanely glad that she had worn normal shoes for this. She barely had time to eat anything between people.

"Princess? Wanna dance?" she plastered on her smile and turned to see Champ.

"Of course." she let him pull her onto the dance floor. She acted like he was a great dancer, but it was hard.

"Mind if I cut in for a little? Just need to have a word with the princess but can't take her away from her party." Champ looked confused, but couldn't really say no to the captain of the guard. He backed up and she seamlessly took his place.

"Thank you. I'm not sure my toes could've taken another hit."

"Thought I noticed you going slower than before. And a limp a couple steps ago."

"Damn. Thought I hid that."

"It was an admirable effort. But it's my job to keep an eye on you. Remember I said I would tonight."

"And I am very grateful for the rescue. You were right on time." Nicole maneuvered them to the edge of the crowd, out of the thick of the dancing.

"You're very welcome."

"You know, we should have fancy parties where you can ditch the uniform more often. You look nice."

"And you look beautiful. The perfect princess." she blushed a little. Everyone was always telling her that, but something about it coming from Nicole felt more genuine.

"Thank you." she did a small twirl, but when she stopped, everything was still spinning a little, "Whoa."

"Waverly? Hey, are you okay?" Nicole kept her from falling and she let herself be led to the wall, away from everyone else entirely.

"I'm okay. Just a little tired I think. It's been a long day."

"Have you eaten anything since lunch? Hey, can you bring me some water? Now." Nicole waved at one of the servers. He nodded and was back with a glass of water.

"I'm fine Captain. Really." but she took the water and drank it gratefully. It didn't help much. She still felt sick.

"Waverly. Hey. Look at me." she did and tried not to shy away when Nicole put her hand on her forehead, "Alright, I think you've got a fever. You might have the flu."

"Really shouldn't. No one has been sick around me." she mumbled, still a little focused on the hand on her head. Nicole led her to a chair.

"What's up over here? Princess having too much fun?" Wynonna came over, a drink in hand.

"Hey Wynonna. I'm fine. Tell Captain Haught that there's no way I've got the flu."

"Seriously? Now you're sick? Nice catch Red. Come on, let's get you to bed. Especially before you hurl over our guests. Doesn't leave the greatest impression." She feebly attempted to fight, but Wynonna pulled her up easily. Nicole grabbed her more water and followed them out.

"Wynonna, I can take care of her if you would like. It doesn't seem right to have both of you missing from the party."

"I'll be right back. No one will even notice. But she's my sister and I'm going to make sure she's settled before going back to having fun."

"Sister of the year." Waverly muttered. Away from the mass of guests was a relief, but now she definitely felt the fever.

"Someone's gotta take care of you, you adorable psycho. I thought you looked a little pale earlier, but didn't say anything. And now you've probably gotten half the kingdom sick."

"Maybe a third of them. Think it got Champ?"

"Only time will tell. But we can hope right?" she laughed with her sister. Big mistake.

"Uh oh. Think I'm going to be sick."

"Shit." Wynonna looked around for something, but Nicole was already moving. They'd been almost to her room and there just happened to be a supply closet on hand, with a helpful bucket inside, "Nice save speedy." Wynonna moved her hair back as she threw up. Not her finest moment as princess, but it's not like anyone was around to see it.

"Ta da." she mumbled, wiping her hand across her mouth. Nicole sheepishly offered the water she'd brought with, "Thank you."

"Had a feeling it might be needed."

"Come on. You can lay down and throw up to your immune systems content. Someone should be along to take care of that right?" Wynonna waved at the bucket.

"Shortly, yes." she felt a little bad about that. But it could've been worse. They got to her room and Wynonna groaned.

"Why is there so much shit on your bed? You were planning on sleeping at some point tonight right?" she moved to help clear some things, but Wynonna made her stay, "Captain, if you could be a doll and make room on my sisters' bed for her small body. I'm going to get her into something more comfortable." Nicole nodded and started moving the other clothes and things Waverly had left on her bed earlier.

"Why are there so many buttons on this damn thing? Were you planning on living in this dress for eternity?"

"It's not that bad. You're just used to zippers."

"Yeah. Because they're easier than this madness. Hey, Cap, trade ya. You're far too sober to be clearing a bed. Her pajamas are usually on the floor by the door." she snorted a little, "Ha. I love it when I rhyme without trying. Truly an artist."

"Are you sure? I don't think it's really appropriate."

"Oh come on. The girl got a bullet out of your leg a month ago. You can get her out of a dress." She couldn't be sure, but it looked like Nicole was blushing a little bit. Probably the stupid fever. Nicole clearly wasn't going to fight with Wynonna and grabbed her pajamas. Waverly turned around and moved her hair over so it'd be easier to get to the buttons. Nicole didn't have any trouble with them and the dress slid off. She grabbed the shirt being held out and quickly slipped it over her head. It was an old one of her father's and went down to about her knees. She turned around and smiled a little when she saw Nicole had turned her head to the side.

"Thank you Captain. Your valiant service is noted. Please take my sister back to the party before someone finishes the whiskey before her."

"As if someone would touch it. Get in bed and then we'll go." she obliged and smiled when Wynonna piled all the blankets back on top of her.

"You know I have a fever, right?"

"You know you still freeze without at least three of these, right? Shut up and go to sleep. Someone will bring some more water and maybe some crackers for you later, so don't freak out on anyone."

"Fine. I'll be alright now. I've been sick before. Go. Have fun. And tell Robin he jinxed me. He'll know what it's about."

"Of course he did. It's like some weird gift he has. If they'd been here when Bobo was here, I would have found a way to blame it on him too. Come on Captain. You've got a party to supervise. I'll have Xavier or Henry check on her in a little bit."

"Very well. Feel better Princess." Nicole said, smiling a little. Waverly smiled back and turned off her light. It was the longest week ever after that. The first few days were immensely unpleasant. No one liked being sick. Wynonna tried her best to make things easier, but it was just something that had to run its course. Her saving grace was actually Nicole. You would think taking care of the sick younger princess was under her paygrade, but she was there, almost every day between her shifts. Keeping her company, making sure stayed hydrated, not letting anyone else see her throw up. It sort of reminded her of when they had been kids, before Nicole got sent away. She'd sort of forgotten how much fun it was to have her around as a friend.


	3. That's Everbody's Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever feel like you're falling for the wrong person? Because Nicole is pretty sure that was what was keeping her up at night. Something about Waverly Earp had gotten to her.

"You're sure that no one else is sick anymore? Because if I'm going to be up all night again, I need to know for caffeine purposes."

"We both know you'd rather take a nap than drink more coffee."

"I am head of security, not a child. I don't take naps." Henry laughed, cleaning a smudge off his knife.

"We both know that is not true. You took a nap yesterday."

"I did not!" the lie wasn't convincing at all though.

"We don't judge too much, you know that. You're the youngest captain in quite some time. It's a lot of responsibility and none of us want you running yourself into the ground. But it looks like the last of the flu has finished it's rampage." Xavier said. They'd been trying to figure out shifts for the next couple days and she'd been trying to make sure no one got too overworked. It was a lot harder than it should have been, but they'd been short since the whole Del Rey fiasco and then the flu that had run rampant. Waverly had just been the first one to feel it.

"Go lie down for a little bit Nicole. We can handle this."

"You're sure?"

"Yes Captain. If you don't take a nap, just relax for a little bit. You're trying to do too much at a time, on your own. You've got us for a reason."

"Fine. I'll go rest for an hour, two tops. Come find me if anything goes wrong. And I mean anything. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am. Go." Henry had the nerve to shoo her away, but she let it slide and left them to it. It really was ridiculous for them to suggest she take a nap. Of all the ridiculous things.

"Hey, Haught, shouldn't you be, I don't know, polishing a bullet or something?"

"You don't polish bullets Wynonna. You know that."

"I know. It's fun to see you wrestle with the thought of correcting me or letting things go. Let the heir think she's right or make sure I know I'm wrong. Such a dilemma for the captain."

"It's not that hard of a choice to make. So many things would go wrong if I didn't make sure that you had your facts straight."

"Well good to know. You never who's being honest when you're the one in charge."

"No kidding."

"Hey, don't worry about the schmucks who wound up being turncoats for Bobo and Mars. None of us saw that coming. I'm sure no one has the audacity to hide anything from you. You'd beat the truth out of them." she laughed a little. She must have looked worse than she thought if Wynonna was comforting her.

"Thanks Wy."

"Anytime. I'm gonna go find Xavier. Or maybe Henry. Guess we'll see." she waved and walked off in the opposite direction. Nicole watched her go, shaking her head. Wynonna Earp was a force that no one would be able to understand. She started walking again, no specific destination in mind.

"Hey Nicole." _Of course_. It would be Waverly next. She'd been trying to keep everything professional with her. Jeremy and Robin's party had thrown a wrench in that a little, but she thought she'd done a pretty decent job keeping her distance the last few weeks.

"Hi Waverly."

"Where're you going?"

"Not really sure. Just going for a walk I guess."

"Mind if I join you? Wynonna is off being Wynonna and Jeremy and Robin are off doing whatever it is they do with the science stuff."

"Sure." she responded without thinking.

"Awesome." they started again, "So, I was thinking earlier, did I ever thank you for helping take care of me when I was sick? Because I know you didn't have to."

"It was nothing. Really. Wynonna needed help and my immune system is stronger than most."

"Uh huh. Sure. But thank you. Really. It made being sick a little less miserable."

"Glad I could help. It really was nothing though." 

"It wasn't nothing. It was super nice of you and Wynonna appreciated the help. Mind if we take a detour out to the garden?"

"Not at all. It's a nice day out. Lead the way." she followed her out, breathing in the fresh air. She didn't spend much time out here. Something about gardens set her on edge. But it wasn't so bad with Waverly there.

"These are my favorite. Momma always had these in her room before she left. They remind me of her. Wynonna likes them too, not that she'll ever admit it. What do you think?"

"They're beautiful." she wasn't looking at the flowers. The sun was shining at just the right angle and Waverly looked radiant.

"Here." she hastily looked at the flowers. They were pretty, not that she was much of a flower person. Waverly motioned for her to lean down. She did, confused. Waverly carefully put the flower behind her ear, grinning, "There. Perfect." she couldn't help smiling back.

"Thank you very much Princess." she straightened, making sure she didn't mess it up. Waverly was looking at her a little strangely.

"Um, I just remembered I need to ask Wynonna something. About our dinner plans for later."

"Of course. Go. I need to get back to work soon anyways." she watched her leave, trying not to be too obvious about it. She was going to have to get a handle on this, and soon. Nothing was ever going to come from it. Waverly was a princess. Plain and simple. And she had a type, and it most definitely wasn't Nicole.


	4. Maybe Just Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Nicole Haught. She was the captain of the guard. That was why Waverly was around her all the time. She's always around and it's not like she can sneak away from her. She wasn't going out of her way to hang out with her when she wasn't working. Not at all. They were friends. Just friends. Right?

"Hey Waves, did you ever hear back from, oh what's his name. The prince from next door."

"Perry?" she replied absentmindedly. She loved hanging out with her sister, but she'd been distracted the past couple days.

"Yes! That one. His visit a few months ago seemed to go well right? And we both like him."

"Wynonna, if this is you trying to set me up, again, with some prince or noble, please stop. We've been over this. None of them are really my type."

"Really? Not the tall, dark, and handsome? Or nerdy?"

"I mean, maybe you're not far off with the tall part." she mumbled. Wynonna wasn't close enough to hear and kept going.

"That's alright. I guess you don't have a specific type. I certainly don't."

"I don't know Wy. Xavier and Henry are both guards. And badasses. And would do anything for you. I think that's certainly a type."

"Aw shucks, you're just being nice. I don't think they'd do _anything_ for me. I'm sure there's a line somewhere." Waverly got up from the desk and sat down beside her sister.

"I'm being honest. You know you're going to have to choose one of them right? Before they plan a duel for your hand."

"Think they'd do that? Because that would be one hell of a party to plan." they both laughed at the thought.

"I mean, I'm sure Xavier would dominate in anything hand to hand combat related, but Henry would wipe the floor with anything marksmanship related. You'd have to set up a competition that would be a fair fight. Maybe a bake off or something."

"Okay, now we have to make that happen. Find our frilliest aprons and have them make the daintiest snacks possible." Waverly smiled, picturing that.

"My disastrous love life aside, what's new with you baby sister? You haven't really hung out with me much recently."

"What? You need me to be by your side every day? Because I will do that if that is what you need."

"Tempting. But don't avoid the question. What's up with you dude? Come on!"

"There's nothing to tell Wynonna. We live in a palace, we haven't been attacked recently, I'm not sick anymore. There's really nothing new to talk about right now. Sort of in a lull."

"Well shit. You should get out more sis."

"It's not for lack of trying. You know it's hard to go out and about when the Del Rey's want us out of the picture."

"Ugh. Let's not even talk about them. They find a way to ruin anything fun that we do. Why can't they get a new hobby? I'm sure there are plenty of other royal families they can assault."

"I'm sure they've got other exploits we don't want to know about. They have their sibling bonding and we have ours."

"It sounds so ordinary when you put it like that. I really don't think anything we do should be considered 'normal'. Between the target practice and safety drills we never have time for slumber parties or family dinners."

"You and I both know those things are overrated. You did away with them as soon as you could. That's why we're eating sandwiches in your room."

"Oh yeah. Sometimes you being so damn smart and logical gets in the way of my drama."

"Hate to break it to ya, but your drama isn't going anywhere. I however, need to bail on you. I told Jeremy I'd help him put together something for Robin's birthday."

"Gross. Young love. Nauseating. But go on. Have fun. Add something inappropriate from me."

"Of course. Wouldn't do it any other way." she pulled her sweater back on, palace drafts were the worst, and made her way to Jeremy's room.

"There you are! I thought you'd forgotten about me. This would've been a disaster without your eye for detail."

"You would have been fine on your own. I was just hanging out with Wynonna and lost track of time."

"Of course. Right. Your sister. She's not upset with me for taking you away is she? I can never tell if she likes me or not, even now."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're practically family. Now tell me again what you want to do for Robin."

Things were normal after that. For a couple weeks or so actually. They didn't have any big parties, but a couple small get togethers were easy enough to put together. Especially when Nicole was so organized and efficient. They didn't have much in the way of family to invite, but they had friends and plenty of ways to keep them entertained. Game nights, theater, and yes, even a bake off that went way better than anyone could have anticipated. They had cupcakes and brownies for days afterwards. Wynonna was loving every minute of it. Waverly knew things could get lonely around the place and she liked these parties way more than the big ones. And it was fun whenever Nicole could join in. They were a great team. Almost as good as her and Wynonna.

"Are you sure that you two don't practice these games outside of this?"

"Wynonna, how could one even begin to practice for a game night?"

"I don't know. Make up signals for when you're right or wrong? A secret code maybe?"

"Don't be ridiculous Wynonna. Waverly and I dont have a code. Now, Xavier, Henry, and I? That's a different story." Nicole said, smiling a little bit.

"I'm sorry, what? Does that mean you've been cheating this whole time?" Waverly laughed when she turned on her 'teammates'.

"C'mon Wynonna, I thought it was obvious that they were communicating. All the hand signals and random words."

"Huh. I just thought everyone else was finally getting on my level with their drinking. You bunch of slackers." she downed another shot and reached for the bottle.

"You've barely even had anything to drink Wynonna. You're just bad at some of these games."

"Not true. I am bad at nothing. You're just better at reading our friends apparently."

"It's a gift. Come on. Keep going. Nicole and I were on a roll." Wynonna sighed, but pulled another slip of paper out of Henry's hat. They played for a few more hours, Wynonna drinking more, Henry trying to keep up, Xavier smiling more than she had ever seen, and Nicole kicking all their asses. She was the only one not drinking at all and it was working in her favor.

"Hey! Red Giant! No fair. Most of us can't see that high, even when we're sober. Waverly is just always looking up because she has to and you know that."

"Wynonna, you're literally laying on the ground. It's not my fault you couldn't see that I was making bird shadow puppets."

"Who makes shadow puppets anyways? Why not just flap your arms around like wings like everyone else?"

"Because that's too easy."

"Ugh, fine. You win this round. And the five before it. Is it five? Maybe more."

"And I think that is our cue to call it. Once she loses the ability to count, it's all downhill. Come on sis. Let's get you to bed before you pass out in the hall."

"One time. That happened one time."

"Four times Wynonna. Four times." she pulled her sister up slowly.

"I can walk around on my own. Damn." but she took one unsteady step before reaching back, "Maybe not. Lead the way Tiny." she sighed and they made their way to Wynonna's room. She waved at Nicole and the others as they went. Nicole waved back, clearly laughing at her. She was glad that Wynonna was not an unruly drunk, or getting her anywhere would've been impossible.

"Alright Wy, here we go. Nice comfy bed to sleep in." she sort of dropped her onto it, but at least it wasn't the floor.

"Hey Waves. I'm so glad we have these nights. All our friends. I just love them all so much. Even the big one who cheats."

"She doesn't cheat Wynonna. You're just a sore loser."

"And she's too good at everything. It'd annoying if it weren't so damn useful."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate the compliment. She probably doesn't get acknowledged nearly enough. Especially by us."

"Oh she knows it. We're buddies and we appreciate all the stuff she does for us. And you dude. She appreciates the hell out of you. You're like her best friend here. Before she left and now. Those Del Rey bums helped out with that I guess. You needed someone around here to talk to. And she's great. Like, really cool."

"I know Wynonna. I know she is." she pulled her sister's boots off, tossing them away from the bed, just in case she decided to get up. Couldn't let her trip on them.

"Seriously Waverly, Nicole is awesome. We could be best friends if she could get away from you. You should really get a handle on that whole thing. I was once told to make a choice regarding something personal. I still haven't done it, but it was smart advice. I think you should figure out whatever it is that's bothering you. And fast."

"Nothing is bothering me Wynonna. Come on."

"Don't be ridiculous. I know my sister. And when something is on your mind, I know it. Even if you won't tell me what it is. But hurry up and figure it out." she rolled over, burying her face into her pillows. Waverly made sure that she wasn't going to somehow suffocate before heading out. She was drunk. Nothing she said could be taken at face value. Right? Everyone said crazy things after a few drinks. Except for her sister. Wynonna was almost brutally honest when she drank. She just might not remember it.

"Hey, you get her squared away?" she jumped, not having heard Nicole come up behind her.

"Um, yup. Wynonna is nice and passed out in her bed. She'll be out all night."

"Sorry I didn't help you with her. But it looked like you had it handled."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to helping her out. Gives us plenty of bonding time. It's really not that bad."

"Oh I've seen her far worse. Another reason I knew you had it handled. People seem to underestimate what you can do."

"Thanks. You're just being nice. I'm sure no one even pays enough attention to 'underestimate' me. Wynonna is the one everyone watches."

"Well yeah, she's the heir. Of course everyone is going to watch her. But I'm sure you'd be surprised how much people see." Waverly smiled a little.

"I'm sure you're right. Thanks for playing with us by the way. I know you don't have to and it means a lot that you make an effort to hang out with us."

"Of course Waverly. It's actually fun. You know my family isn't here and you guys are really all I've got. I should really thank you for making the effort to invite me."

"Oh it's nothing. You're around us all the time. Might as well make it fun. See you in the morning." she waved and closed her door. She didn't get much sleep that night, just some tossing and turning. She just couldn't get what Wynonna had said out of her head. Because it had some truth to it. She just hadn't been putting much stock into it. For many reasons. Or maybe they were excuses? She wasn't really sure, but they were there.

"Screw it." she muttered, sliding her slippers on and grabbing her robe. The sun was just starting to come up and she knew exactly where to go. There was a reason Nicole never drank at their game nights. She was always up insanely early to get things done. She quietly knocked on her office door. Maybe too quietly. She almost knocked again when it opened.

"Oh. Morning Waverly. Everything alright?"

"Um, yeah. I think so. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course. Come on in. I was just going over the schedule for today."

"Cool. I'll try not to keep you too long then. Um, we're friends right?"

"Of course we're friends Waverly. Why would you think otherwise? Did I say something to make you think we weren't?"

"No, no. Not even a little bit. I just, um, there's something I, erm, I don't know." This wasn't going well at all. Only one thing left to do. Here's hoping it didn't go down in flames.

"Waverly?" Nicole rested her hands on her shoulders, making her look at her. Right up into those brown eyes that were catching the morning light just right. She took a deep breath and went for it. She stood up on her toes, pulled Nicole closer, and kissed her. She seemed to kiss her back for a second before gently pulling herself back, "Waves, what the hell?"

"I'm sorry! It's just something that I guess I've been wanting to do for awhile now? Is that weird? Did I just make things super weird? Oh god, I did." she covered her face, embarrassed beyond belief. She sat on the couch against the wall, feeling ridiculous.

"Waverly? Hey, you didn't make things weird. At least, I dont think you did. Come on. Talk to me. We're friends right?" Nicole carefully pulled her hands down, holding them still.

"Yeah. We're friends. We've always been friends. I don't know when that changed though. Everything was normal until you went and got shot. Right? I'm not crazy for thinking that am I? Please tell me I'm not going down the completely wrong path?"

"Not at all Waves. You're right. But I wasn't going to do anything. It wasn't my place. What changed?"

"I don't know. I just, I guess, I wanted to take a risk, you know? For the first time in my life, do something unexpected. But still something that I want to do. And I wanted to do this. Like, I really, really wanted to do this." she ran her thumb over Nicole's hand. Waiting for her to say something. Anything.

"So, you want to do this?" she glanced over, still feeling ridiculously uncomfortable.

"Yes." she just barely said loud enough. Nicole smiled and she couldn't help smiling back. Nicole pulled her close, and they were kissing again. And for the first time in her whole life, Waverly Earp felt like everything was going to be perfect. As long as Nicole Haught was there to help.


End file.
